dfranjko

Since the dealer gave me a refund for mine, I really do not miss it that much. Sure it is a beautiful car, but I do not miss the headaches I had from dealing with the issues I had with the vehicle. Now I have the 2008 Accord EXV6 with navi It is noticeably faster than the C300 4matic, better on gas and overall, much more reliable thus far.

narky

Here's my little "review" of the car. No numbers, no facts, just opinions. I purchased the car, not leased, so I do intend to keep the car for a little longer than some others on this forum. That fact affected/affects some of the decisions I made. The following are entirely personal and subjective opinions, not objective reviews of any kind, so please do take them as such.

BEGIN REVIEW:

With the car, I have no regrets whatsoever. Zero. The car is plenty fast for me, nothing has given me any trouble in terms of reliability (though it's been only 3 months or so and ~4000 miles) and it looks amazingly, unbelievably awesome from all angles.

I couldn't care less for the myriad options, as I feel that they will only add to future headaches as little motors here and there wear out and break down. And they will, of course. I did, however, get my car with P1, because I was essentially getting it for free (long story). The options in P1, I don't much care for, because I find most of them useless. I rarely use them now, even though my car has them. Example: I never turn on the stereo/radio; only passengers do. I like to listen to the car more than I like listening to anything else while driving. Most music these days annoy me. I'm weird, I know. And I'm not even that old!

The only option I wish that I had gotten is the bi-xenon lighting, but I didn't want to be forced to buy the other useless (IMHO) options that were packaged in with the xenons (P2). The stock halogen lights are fine for now, and in the future I will look into a xenon lighting kit, some of which retail for under $200.

The pano roof, even though it added those "little motors" that I speak of, is a must-have option in my opinion. In fact, the visual contrast provided by the pano roof against a white car is the primary reason for purchasing this vehicle. For me. The speed at which the decision came to me surprised even me, because usually I am a pretty level-headed guy who thinks and thinks and thinks, and calculates and calculates and calculates everything out. Price/performance ratio is of utmost importance to me. However, I saw one picture online and that was it. That's how much I like the pano roof. But I never open it (not even the sun shade), because the sunlight through it makes the interior temperature rise on hot days like nobody's business. But if you plan on keeping this car for a reasonable amount of time, and if you take care to keep your paint flawless, the pano roof is great, because it's a huge chunk of the car that is not painted and does not require much care. That fact also factored into my decision to get this option.

The car's tracking abilities (driving straight ahead with no steering input) are awesome. I have the optional AMG 18" wheels, which add to the stability, I'm sure, but the car in general displays outstanding poise at high speeds. If you want a solid high speed tourer (do you commute often on highways?), I think you will be without want with this car. The steering is pretty responsive, even though it doesn't quite equal that of the BMW 3-series. I would say the steering feedback and feel are about 85%~90% of the BMW, and that's fine with me. I don't plan on tracking this car (maybe a few times?), and I was willing to sacrifice that extra steering precision for the looks of this car. the 3-series looks just too much "been there done that." The 335 coupe looks badass, but I wanted/needed a 4-door, and the BMW 3XX sedan looks like crap to me.

In terms of speed and launching prowess, you should be happy with the car, unless you are the type to gun it at every stop light. For that, there are many other great cars at this price point. The C300 is by no means a slow car, though, and for my transportation purposes, it does the job smashingly. I have yet to want for more power in a merging situation, on an on-ramp, in passing another car, or in any other normal driving situation. But as I said, I've grown up just a little since my boy-racer days, and I don't care too much for tickets and accidents that sap my money away. I still regularly drive pretty fast on the highway, but I do so only when the flow of traffic safely permits such driving, and even then with eyes on full alert front, side, and back for any fine member of the boys in blue. Having said all that, however, I did want the 350 engine, but the lack of a 6MT killed the option for me. M-B is just retarded for this. I simply don't understand.

The only thing I am not happy about, if I really must search for one, is the unreasonable cost for any sort of modification to the car in terms of power. As these cars have NA engines, there won't be any "magic" chips that will provide extra umph at a reasonable price, and any other form of modification affording significant power (forced induction?) is just needlessly expensive. I do understand, of course, that not many M-B owners (compared to Honda/Acura/Toyota/etc etc owners) mod their cars, and tuners must somehow make development of parts worthwhile for themselves. I have decided that I will get my mod fix elsewhere, perhaps by purchasing a cheap used Honda/Toyota/Mazda with a gaggle of aftermarket support, and tricking that car out to the max. For this car, only slight cosmetic mods will be done.

All in all, I am very happy with the car and its performance. With regards to the reliability of this car, only time will tell. So far, I have no regrets and I am very happy with my decision and purchase.

My experience with the dealership is a totally different story , but of course, that should be reserved for another thread.

EDIT: Oh, a few more things to add (I never shut the hell up, do I? ). As Derspeed said above, the car feels "solid," whatever that means to you. When you close the door, there's a certain heft to the movement that is quite satisfying. And the little details, such as the quite unique beep-beep-beep that the car makes when you lock it, are what makes this car further satisfying for me. Other people hate that sound; I love it.

SECOND EDIT: I just can't stop writing. I didn't make any comments about the interior, but I think that's a good thing. I have no complaints. I compared the leather and MBTex, and went with MBTex. The new leather smell would've been nice, but really, nobody can tell MBTex is not real leather until I tell them. And yes, I do tell them pretty much right away; I'm not trying to trick my passengers in any way.

I chose MBTex because it's supposed to take less maintenance, and is much more durable. I can personally attest to its quality, as just a few weeks into ownership my lady spilled an entire cup of hot gooey thick black tea all over the passenger side seats, and ten minutes later when she wiped it off with a towel from inside, there was no stain or damage whatsoever left.